Submitted by Stephen O'Keefe, Vice President, Operations
Retail Council of Canada


Retail Council of Canada is in the initial stages of developing the content for the annual Loss Prevention Conference to be held in Toronto on Sept 11 and 12, 2012. As the industry association representing more than 45,000 store fronts, RCC is listening to members and creating an agenda to meet their wants and needs. Members have asked for topics ranging from Organized Retail Crime to Workplace Investigations, and the partnership between Legal, Internal Audit, Human Resources and Loss Prevention. The later session will likely draw a wider range of attendees, as a panel of retail professionals from the different disciplines will openly discuss: the trade-off of responsibility; the boundaries of authority; and the professional responsibilities of each group.

RCC has also commissioned the annual Shrinkage Survey Study and will announce the results on Sept 11th.

For any retailer doing business in Canada, this year’s event will draw interest from sessions themed around "back to basics". The Charter of Rights and Freedom will be discussed with a panel assembled from law enforcement, justice, and employment counsel. The panel will provide different perspectives on this age-old question: how should you begin an integrity interview for theft - do you read the rights to counsel or do you state that an employee is free to leave? The answer may surprise some U.S. retailers and really highlight the differences in the legal arena between the two countries.